Bustle



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS J'. THOMPSON, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

BUSTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,854, dated October 18, 1859.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS J. THOMP- soN, of Malden, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement on the Spring-Bustle; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies andforms a part of this specification, is a description thereof so full andexact as to enable those skilled in the art to practice my invention.

rlhe nature of my improvement on the spring bustle consists in a certainarrangement and combination, substantially as here inafter specified, ofthin flat springs united at their ends to form the perimeter or outlineof the bustle and spiral springs of conical configuration for jointaction essentially as hereinafter set forth, and whereby a more easylateral action of the whole bustle, for a given strength of outwardthrust and steady vertical support, is secured to the bustle, to conformto swing in the gait of the wearer, and to meet various side thrusts orstrains; and whereby other advantages are obtained for it over or ascompared with other metallic spring bustle arrangements.

In the drawing (a) is the waist strap or belt, (b) the flat spring whichencompasses the helical springs (c) and vforms the outline of the bustlewhich by the action of the springs (c) is made of elliptical form. Toform a broad bearing surface upon the body and for the base of thesprings (c) I make a portion of the outline of the bustle of two flatsprings as shown in the drawing.

The spring portions of the bustle are covered and are united together'in the manner well known in the manufacture of hoop skirts.

Provision is made in the clasps at (al) for uniting the bustle to one ofthe hoops (c) of a skirt to be worn in conjunction with it and the tapesshown at (f) may be tied around one or more of the hoops of a skirtextended forward to bring the fullness of the skirt more to the rear.The strap (g) fixed to the outer part of the bustle near the clasps (CZ)is designed to transfer the strain to the waist belt.

Such combination and arrangement of the within described springspossesses both novelty and utility. Thus, there is a unity between theflat springs (o, o) made double or separated and spread where theyconstitute a base-that is, on their sides next to the body,-and thetapering spiral springs (c) having their base where the flat springsform a base and their smaller ends where the flat springs meet or form anarrower line or band on the outside. By such construction andarrangement of the springs, a steady central action is given to outwardand inward thrust, and a stable vertical support to sustain the weightof the dress secured, while all sensation of localized pressure isremoved and the whole bustle permitted to play laterally with greaterfreedom or ease to conform to swing in the gait of the wearer and tomeet various lateral pressures, and which a mere iexible construction ofthe sides of the bustle less perfectly eects. By the spiral springsbeing of a single taper or conical form, all noise too or grating oftheir spirals is avoided during compression, and each of said springsmay be so far compressed as to constitute a flat scroll and therebymadel to occupy less space either than spiral springs of cylindricalfigure or similar ones of hour glass form. But it is in the steadycentralizing action of such spiral springs arranged as described,combined with the facility with which the same may be turned aside orbent over in the lateral play of the whole bustle, and the action inconcert of the fiat springs spread or divided at their base on theinside and serving to prevent objectionable vertical dip of the spiralsprings, that the peculiar character of my improvement is made apparent;and, for a given weight and strength or efficiency, this my arrangementand combination of certain springs possesses greater self adaptabilityor freedom and general convenience and ease in use than most or all ofthose bustles in which inner and outer bands are connected by hoop andother springs that either too sensibly restrain side play or are toosensitive and local in that respect.

Vhat is claimed therefore here is:

The combination, in a spring bustle, of a flat spring or springs (b)united at their ends to form the perimeter of the bustle or itsframework and spread or divided to establish cert with the latter, andunitedly, essentially a hase at their;il beaing Surface or surfaces asherein set forth.

against the bo y o the wearer, and spiral T springs (c) of conicalconfiguration and ar- AUGUS'l Us J' THOMPSO1\' ranged to form cross tiesto the Hat springs, Vitnesses:

with their bases resting against the base 17B. CROSBY, formed by thelatter and for action in con- V. B. GLEASON.

